A OneShot Of Recalling Unfortunate Events
by Costume Maker's Apprentice
Summary: Or: What's In A Name. Where Brittany remebers why thunderstorms scare her. Brittany-centric, mostly set in the past. Mainly Kurttany friendship and mentioned Brittana and Brittany/Quinn friendship. Rated T for death.


AN: A little one-shot or a long drabble (really, what's the difference between the two? I'm sorry if I sound like an idiot but I honestly don't know.) about the second best Gleek, next to Kurt... Brittany! I hope you all enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I own only the plot. Nothing else.**

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Brittany pouted as she began to drive back to Santana's house. She was outraged. (In her own way, of course.) How did the pet store sell food for dogs, cats, rabbits, hampsters, even ferrets- but not for ducks! Her poor Ballad was gonna starve! She was pondering whether or not the Lopezes' either had or knew where to find duck food, when the first crack of thunder shook her little sports car.

She froze. _Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit... _Brittany knew she wasn't nearly close enough to Santana's for her to feel comfortable driving in this storm. She spotted a street sign in her rear view mirror. _Hyde Avenue... Who lives on Hyde?_ she asked herself.

_Kurt._

The name floated to her like a life raft in choppy seas. Without hesitation, the blond drove a few more feet- half a block, maybe- before parking on the curb just outside the Hummel residence. She ran inside, forgetting everything (especially a jacket) in her panic.

When Burt Hummel opend the door, Brittany wondered why he was staring at her. Did he think she was hot? _Wait, isn't he dating Finn's mom? _she wondered.

In actuality, Burt was simply wondering why there was a soaking wet blond girl clad in the female version of his son's cheerleading uniform standing on his porch in the middle of a thunderstorm.

"I'm here to see Kurt." she announced in a shaky voice. _Well, there ya go._ Burt thought. Under normal circumstances, he would've questioned her more. But this girl seemed seconds away from breaking down. So instead, Burt told her Kurt was in his room and he watched with worried and weary eyes as she bolted for the basement.

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Kurt gave Brittany the same look his father did. She groaned inwardly. _Yes, I'm hot, can we focus on the thunder now? _she mentally cried.

"Brittany?" Kurt questioned, slowly closing his Chemistry textbook and crossing to the seemingly froze blond. He placed a soft hand on her cheek. "Britt? You alright, Boo?" he asked softly.

Usually, Brittany liked it when Kurt called her Boo. It reminded her of ghosts, but nice ghosts like Casper. But now wasn't the time to think about the friendly animated spirit. She opened her mouth to speak, but a flash of lightining burst from outside his window, that Brittany was facing. She let out a yelp and wrapped herself tightly around the small boy. He awkwardly returned the embrace.

"I'm...I'm scared of thunderstorms." Brittany whispered. The wheels finally clicked in Kurt's head. With his surprisingly strong arms, he lifted the female up in a bridal hold, and carried her over to his couch. There he sat, holding the trembling blond in his lap as he whispered comforting platitudes in her ear.

"You know Boo, sometimes it's easier to get over a fear by talking about it. Do you wanna tell my why you're scared of thunderstorms?" The countertenor asked gently.

Brittany bit her lip. Did she? She had to recall what had happened first. Why _**was**_ she so afraid of thunderstorms?

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_It was a warm October day, back when Brittany was only 6 years old. Yes, it was long ago indeed. Back when she..._

_When she had a family. She remembered them now. There was her father, a repairman named David. David..._

_Cavanaugh. Yes, that was his name. _Her _name._

_She had a mother too; Brenda Cavanaugh. She was one of those stay at home moms. Which was good, cause she'd always have a snack ready when Brittany got home from school. Brittany had siblings. A 3-year old sister and a 18-month old baby brother. Her sister was named Dakota Cavanagh and her brother was named Spencer Cavanaugh. Yes, there were your sterotypical All-American family. Blond-haired and blue-eyed, working husband and father, loving wife and mother, beautiful kids._

_On that faitful October day, Brittany was invited to spend the afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese with her best friends Satana Lopez and Quinn Fabray. Her parents had sent her off with smiles and promises to see her soon. She had kissed her parents on the cheek, hugged her sister and cooed a little baby talk to her brother before hopping into the Fabrays' minivan._

_The thunderstorm had began on the trip back to the Cavanaughs'. "Uh oh." Judy Fabray had muttered in the driver's seat. "Brittany, sweetie? You and Santana are just going to have to come over to our house. I'll call your parents and let them know once we're there."_

_But Brittany's parents would never find out. Dakota had been complaining of the VCR not working, so of course hard-working David Cavanaugh had to set off to fix it. Sadly, the moment he plugged the VCR back into the outlet, a lightning bolt had struck the fuse box outside. The shock transfered through the wires and into David's body, instantly frying his insides. Dakota's scream had acccidently cause Brenda to toss the wash rag she was using onto the stove, where it instantly caught fire. Brenda and Dakota were so worrried about David, that they barely noticed Spencer crying from his high chair. They only noticed when it had stopped. They turned to the was engulfed in flames. Brenda screeched and attempted to save her family-her electorcuted husband, her burning son and her hysterical daughter._

_But to no avail._

_When Judy Fabray had recieved no answer from Brittany's family, she had driven the young girl there herself, once the storm ended. Neither was prepared to face the charred remains of the girl's house and her family no where to be found._

_A lawyer was soon contacted to find the Cavanaugh's will, a burnt but still legible folder of papers in the wreckage. It did not state what were to become of their children should something happen. The lawyer, Mr. Marshall, had looked into where the little blond girl's closest relative lived: Her aged aunt Pheobe lived just outside of Chicago. Brittany, in tears, clung to the leg of the lawyer and cried that she wasn't going to leave her friends. So, the Lopez family, who already saw Brittany as their own daughter, signed the adoption papers and that was that._

_Brittany never saw herself as a Lopez, however. But, to dredge up her old name would be to submerse herself in that horrible past. She would never be able to hid from it. She supposed that was where her fear came from. But, Kurt didn't need to know that..._

"No." she whispered. "Too many bad memories."

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**AN: Thoughts? Reviews, please!**


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